The south end beach replenishment project in Ocean City, NJ will be at standstill for six to eight weeks as the hopper dredge that has been pumping new sand gets a new engine, the Army Corps of Engineers reported on Wednesday.
The engine on the Liberty Island was “totaled,” according to Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Richard Pearsall. The ship is at port in Norfolk, Va., as it awaits a replacement engine.
The new target date for completion of the project is Sept. 9, and the delay pushes the restart of the project into the heart of the summer vacation season in the resort — sometime in mid-July to early August.
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Pearsall said the Army Corps may know more after a construction meeting with the contractor (Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company), the state Department of Environmental Protection and City of Ocean City officials.
The project has been at a standstill since Saturday (May 30) when the engine powering the dredging operations died.
The hopper dredge is a ship that pumps sand into its hold from an offshore borrow area, then travels closer to Ocean City to hook up with a pipeline that feeds the new sand onto the beach.
Crews from Great Lakes have completed work between 37th Street and St. David’s Place (near 47th Street). The current phase of the project started at 55th Street and is moving toward St. David’s.
Work is now stalled at 51st Street, and the equipment for the project has been corralled in a small area at 52nd Street.
Ocean City Business Administrator Jim Mallon said the city is disappointed to learn of the delay, but he said the city knew the project was subject to mechanical and weather delays.
“We always knew the project would fall into the summer season,” Mallon said.
He said the Army Corps contractor and the city worked together to minimize inconvenience during a crowded Memorial Day Weekend, and he anticipates continued cooperation.
He said the city is anxious to see the long-awaited project completed and would not ask the Army Corps to further delay work into the fall and the heart of hurricane season.
He said the contractor will keep working on dune crossovers and sand fencing, and will do further cleanup of the current project area at 52nd Street during the dredge repair.
